You'll find salmorejo, a cold Spanish soup, on menus throughout Spain, but my favorite version is my mother-in-law Antonia's. I’m excited to share her recipe with you! Grab 7 simple ingredients, and you’ll be able to make a mouthwatering batch of this refreshingly creamy cold soup.
If you're looking for more cold Spanish soups, make sure to try my recipes for beet salmorejo and cherry gazpacho.
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Introduction
After a bad experience with gazpacho years ago, I was convinced that cold soups were an enemy. But one day, I came home hungry from work and decided to reheat some salmorejo that my mother-in-law Antonia had given us on our weekend visit.
Luckily, the salmorejo never made it to the pot! I took one bite, followed by another, and then another. It was so delicious that I couldn't believe I'd been missing out on this fresh explosion of flavors for so long!
What Is Salmorejo?
One of the most famous Spanish dishes, gazpacho, is a cold tomato and vegetable soup, usually consumed from a glass like V8 juice.
By contrast, salmorejo is a cold tomato soup without the extra veggies, and is served in a bowl and garnished with boiled egg and ham. It's often enhanced with garlic, and then blended with stale bread, extra virgin olive oil, and sherry vinegar.
Salmorejo is not only satisfying and flavorful, but it’s also loaded with antioxidants. The smooth, emulsified texture makes many people think there is cream in the soup, but there is not!
Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make your own batch of salmorejo? Let's talk about the most important ingredients!
- Tomatoes: Be sure to use fresh, ripe tomatoes that are juicy. The better the tomatoes, the better the soup! In Spain, we usually use pear (also called teardrop) tomatoes or vine ripe tomatoes.
- Olive Oil: Since this recipe uses a lot of olive oil,you want it to taste good and to be healthy. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil, such as the Spanish hojiblanca variety or your favorite oil.
- Stale Bread: This is the key to salmorejo's thick texture; you can add more for a hummus-like texture or less for a thinner texture. The fluffy center of a baguette works well, but any bread with a dense crumb is great.
- Vinegar: Traditional salmorejo uses sherry vinegar from the Cadiz region (Jerez de la Frontera), which amplifies the flavor of this cold soup. If you're in the US, you can order sherry vinegar from La Tienda.
- Toppings: The most popular toppings are diced hard-boiled egg and cured Spanish ham. This recipe also blends some hard-boiled egg into the soup for an extra creamy texture.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Garlic: I like to add one small clove of raw garlic, but feel free to add more if desired. You can also roast the garlic for a sweeter touch.
- Sherry Vinegar: Try using red wine vinegar if you can't find sherry vinegar.
- Toppings: Try other toppings such as avocado, good quality tuna, smoked fish (sardines), or chopped fruit such as strawberries, cherries, or even green apple.
- Vegan: Traditionally, salmorejo is both vegetarian and vegan, but my recipe is not vegan because it blends a hard-boiled egg into the soup. To make it vegan, simply omit the egg and garnish of jamón, and garnish with a vegan topping such as avocado or fruit.
How to Make
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Start by peeling the tomatoes. You can do this with a sharp veggie peeler, or by cutting an X in the bottom of each tomato.
- Place in boiling water for about 30 seconds.
- Plunge the tomatoes in an ice bath (a bowl of ice water).
- After the tomatoes have cooled briefly, their skins should peel off easily.
- Cut the peeled tomatoes into small pieces.
- Blend until puréed.
- Tear the stale bread into small pieces.
- Add the stale bread to the puréed tomatoes and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the sherry vinegar.
- Add the garlic.
- Add the salt.
- Blend again, this time slowly adding in the olive oil. Add it slowly to make sure it emulsifies.
- For an extra creamy salmorejo, use my mother-in-law's secret trick of blending in one hard-boiled egg. (For a vegan version, omit this step.)
- Refrigerate the salmorejo until it's cold, then serve with hard-boiled egg, cured ham, or the toppings of your choice.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
Salmorejo comes from the south of Spain, specifically from Cordoba in Andalusia. It's served as a cold soup and also as a tapa.
Both salmorejo and gazpacho are cold Spanish soups that are popular in the south of Spain (Andalusia). But gazpacho is a mix of vegetables (tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumber and garlic) while salmorejo only includes tomato and garlic. Salmorejo also incorporates stale bread into the puree, making it a very thick soup which is eaten from a bowl. Gazpacho has a much thinner consistency and is often enjoyed from a glass.
Yes, traditional salmorejo is a vegetarian recipe. It is also easily adapted for vegans by omitting the egg. In both cases, the optional ham topping should be omitted. You can say "sin jamón, por favor" if ordering it in Spain.
Salmorejo is traditionally served cold. Spanish summers, especially in the south, are very hot. It's not uncommon for days to reach 107°F (42°C), so cold soups became popular in this region to keep people hydrated and healthy during the intense summer heat.
Serve
Salmorejo is usually served as either a first course (instead of a hot soup or a salad) or as a tapa. In Andalusia, you'll often enjoy it with other popular summertime tapas, such as shrimp fritters, croquettes, and eggplant with honey. It's perfect with a cold glass of tinto de verano.
Store
Leftovers: Salmorejo will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Be sure it's tightly sealed.
Freezing: Yes, you can freeze salmorejo in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge until it's completely thawed; avoid reheating it. Re-blend in a blender until it's smooth, then serve.
Expert Tips
- Since this is a cold soup, use fresh, ripe tomatoes for the best results. Plum tomatoes or vine ripe tomatoes work well.
- Make sure to use the best extra virgin olive oil you can. If you want to use less oil than the recipe calls for that is fine; add it little by little until you get the taste and consistency you like best.
- Experiment with the amount of bread you use. Adding more bread will give the soup a texture similar to hummus. Feel free to use a gluten-free bread if desired.
- The most popular salmorejo toppings are diced hard-boiled egg and cured Spanish ham, but you can try other toppings such as avocado, good quality tuna, smoked fish, or chopped fruit like strawberries, cherries, or green apples.
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Salmorejo Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 medium plum tomatoes preferably vine-ripened
- 1 medium-sized stale baguette or other stale bread
- 1 cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 splash sherry vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- diced serrano ham or other cured ham, such as prosciutto
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cut a small cross on the bottom of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then remove them immediately and place in a bowl of ice water to cool briefly. The tomato skins should slide off easily.
- Cut out the cores of the tomatoes and add the tomatoes to a blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.
- Pull out the soft center of the baguette and tear it into small pieces. You should have 2-3 cups of bread pieces.
- Add 2 cups of bread pieces to the blended tomatoes, then let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. (For a thicker texture, add all of the bread pieces.)
- Add the vinegar, salt, and garlic and blend until the soup is very smooth.
- Turn the blender to medium speed, then remove the small lid on the top and slowly trickle in the oil. If your blender doesn't have this small hole, simply stop the blender and add the oil gradually.
- Add 1 hard-boiled egg and blend until incorporated. Adjust the levels of salt, vinegar, garlic, and bread to taste.
- Chill the salmorejo until you're ready to serve it. Serve the soup cold in small bowls, then garnish with diced hard-boiled egg and sliced ham. Enjoy!
Notes
- Since this is a cold soup, use fresh ripe tomatoes for the best results. Plum tomatoes or vine ripe tomatoes work well.
- Make sure to use the best extra virgin olive oil you can. If you want to use less olive oil than the recipe calls for, you may; add it slowly until you like the texture.
- Experiment with the amount of bread you use. Adding more bread will give the soup a texture similar to hummus. Feel free to use a gluten-free bread if desired.
- The most popular salmorejo toppings are diced hard-boiled egg and cured Spanish ham, but you can try other toppings such as avocado, good quality tuna, smoked fish, or chopped fruit like strawberries, cherries, or green apples.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
Amy Carlson
I have searched and searched for a great recipe for this soup ever since our trip to Spain several years ago when I fell in love with it. And this is it! Thank you so much - wonderful any time, but particularly in the summer when the heat, ripe tomatoes, etc. are perfect for making this recipe.
Peter
Just made it for dinner - WOW!!!!!
Thank you.
Lucy Thomson
I just came back from my honeymoon in Spain!! My new husband and I ate Salmorejo almost everyday. You would think that we would be sick of it, but we both had a sudden craving for some Salmorejo. I just made your recipe and it came out AMAZING!!! It was really easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lauren Aloise
So glad it came out!
Tracie
Can I use roasted tomatoes? We roast them for breakfast and keep extras in the freezer.
Lauren Aloise
Hi Tracie! While I can imagine that roasted tomatoes would taste good in this recipe, I've never tried it and it definitely wouldn't taste the way it is intended. The highlight of traditional salmorejo is the freshness of the tomatoes, so it would really drastically change the dish. But it sounds interesting, and maybe I'll try it this winter, while fresh tomatoes are not at their prime! If you attempt it, let me know!
Vio
Spaniard here!
I was looking for a Salmorejo recipe in English so I could share it with my colleagues, but most of them had peppers in it or other ingredients that don't make an authentic Salmorejo. I was greatly pleased to find yours, because it's simple and exactly what Salmorejo is. I've never heard of blending a boiled egg in before, but somehow it sounds completely reasonable and not out of place.
Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Lauren Aloise
You're welcome-- it's my suegra's secret ingredient!
Amy
I've made this recipe twice with the blended-in hard boiled egg and it's great. A subtle difference compared to no egg, but you wouldn't guess it was there.
Giovanni
Hello there!
Although I haven't tried your recipe, I also blend the egg in the liquid. It gives it such a silky texture. Here in the caribbean I must give it a local touch so I add papaya in some, pineapple and mango in others. Our gests are just crazy about that.
Keep up you fine work.
Giovanni
Lauren Aloise
Sounds delicious!!!
Celeste Mann
Wow! I just made this and it is DELICIOUS. I'm speechless. It was easy to prepare and so tasty. I used olive oil I brought back from Spain and some jamón serrano I bought at Trader Joe's here. (It tasted pretty authentic). I never ate Salmorejo in Spain (was recently in Granada) so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I love it and will make it again for sure.
Lauren Aloise
This comment makes me so happy! So glad you discovered it, even if it wasn't in Spain. Best thing ever!
Jon Strebler
This does match the best salmorejo from Spain, and is noticeably better than other recipes I've tried. Gracias to you, y la tia!
Lauren Aloise
Thanks! My mother in law knows her stuff!
Alyce
We've just come back from five weeks in Spain and I had this several times and loved it. I'm going to make it tomorrow. A question: you don't take the seeds out of the tomatoes? Do they blend into perfect smoothness? Because that's how the ones I had were.
Can't wait to try this!
Lauren Aloise
Hi Alyce! I don't usually, but you can. If you blanch the tomatoes you can remove skin and seeds (I do this when I have more time). But it still comes out great if you leave them in! good luck 🙂
linxi
I made this
First time lovely
Second time I used tooooo much sherry vinegar
Seeds will be fine
It's really lovely
Kirstie
I decided to make salmorejo for my boyfriend last night and found this recipe and thought, "Hey, I know that blog!" so well done on the SEO. It turned out AMAZING and was so easy to do. I'm seriously just waiting for the work day to finish so I can go home and eat my leftovers.
Lauren Aloise
Haha! I'm so glad you liked it! I love the addition of the egg for extra creaminess. Sooooo yummy!
Lindsey cook
That ..... My friend was awesome
The boiled egg blitzed in was the
So called icing on the cake so to speak. Although I did use more than 1 clove of garlic as I am a garlic freak
Wow wow wow
Love your mama xx
Rachel
Having just sampled Salmorejo in its home town of Cordoba, not a competition winner this time but still it had that certain je ne se quios (?) that I can't achieve at home. So thanks for the recipe, I'll be trying this one out hoping to get the perfect one.
Aniek
I love all your mother in law's recipes, they beat any 'Spanish' cookbook,
much more authentic 🙂 Can't wait to try this!
Lauren Aloise
Thank you so much! I will tell her that, she'll be so happy 🙂
Amy Bowen
I discovered this great soup on my first day in Cordoba. It's so wonderful to enjoy your photo and reading about it here. Almost brings it all back. Thanks for sharing.
Lauren Aloise
Any time Amy! Salmorejo is my absolute favorite. You should make it-- it's really easy!
Elizabeth Block
I too discovered salmorejo in southern Spain, and when I got home I made it myself.
You may not approve ... but I tried it with a cooked potato instead of bread (fine!); a cooked beet (excellent, for both taste and texture! I'll try golden beets next time), a chayote (fine). This was partly for my own interest, and partly for a friend who would love it -- will love it, I hope -- but doesn't eat white bread or potatoes.
I make it all the time when tomatoes are in season. When they're not -- when they come from California or someplace and taste like cardboard -- I don't bother.
PS. I included my website because there's an account, with photos, of my trip to Spain.
Lauren Aloise
Sounds great-- I love experimenting in the kitchen!
Mo
This sounds lovely, but please do not call it a salmoreja soup, with the addition of beets or potatoes it is a beautiful soup but not salmoreja because salmoreja is a "classic"..
Lauren Aloise
It's salmorejo-- with an o.
Lindsay
Yummmmm this sounds SO good to me! I just got settled in my apartment and have been starting to cook. I really want to learn to cook Spanish food! I don't have a blender, but I may have to give in and buy one. If you have any other Spanish recipes or meal ideas, I would love to have them!
Cassandra Gambill
I hand't thought of scalding the tomatoes, but I will have to try it. My own salmorejo comes out a bit chunky due to the fact that I only have one of those hand mixers and no real blender. Thanks for the receta!
Lauren
Oh man, investing in a good blender last year was one of the best things I did! It made my life easier and much more delicious!
Kristen - Anywhere There's An Airport
Looks delicious! The Spaniard's mother makes the best gazpacho. Of course there is no recipe. "little of this, little of that" - I have a list of things to learn from her. Better get cracking! 🙂
frugalfeeding
I've got a traditional Spanish family's salmorejo recipe to post. I really need to get around to it. It is soooo delicious.
Lauren
Mmm please let me know when you do!
Carol Whitlock
Have you ever tried freezing the salmorejo? Seems like it might be a good way of preserving peak-season tomatoes.
Lauren Aloise
Never tried it - since it isn't cooked I don't think it would freeze well (in the end, it is an emulsion) - but worth trying!
christineinspain
SO trying out your recipe soon!!
chicaandaluza
Perfect - sounds like we make this exactly the same way! I adore Salmorejo and could eat it at every meal in the summer 🙂
Lauren
That's so funny... it's true that her recipe doesn't have any "secret" to it! But many people don't blend in an egg... I wouldn't have it any other way!
Frank Aloise
Hi Lauren! So I used your recipe with a few little additions to make it my own for a wine dinner featuring wines from Argentina and it turned out amazing! Great recipe but even better we share tha same last name! Lol
Small world !
Lauren Aloise
Glad it turned out well! And that's so funny-- not too many Aloises I know of! Origins in Calabria, Italy-- right?
Frank Aloise
Yes ma'am !.. My family lived in the North End of Boston... I am now living in Tennessee, lol, yes TN,..and Executive Chef for Cappuccino's and Copper Cellar Group here in Knoxville.
So it the love for food must run in our bloodline.
Best Regards,
Frank
Lauren Aloise
So funny! My grandfather came over from Calabria when he was 8 and they lived in Brooklyn. Later they crossed the bridge to NJ and my dad came to Boston for college and never left Mass. My immediate family is now in the small town of Sutton, near Worcester. So interesting to meet extended family 🙂 Especially foodies!
Holly
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. I will hopefully try this next week before the in-season local tomatoes are non-existent!